Comb



9 H. J. SCHELHAMMER 2,H2,M

V COMB Filed Jan. 6, 1958 w oRNEYS Patented Aug. 9, 1938 COMB Herman J. Schelhammer, Whitestone, N. Y., as-

signor to American Hard Rubber Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 6,

6 Claims.

The invention relates to an improvement in combs, and more particularly in hair dressing combs.

Hair dressing combs, as heretofore constructed, have comprised a longitudinally-extending back provided with teeth projecting outwardly from one edge of the back. The teeth may be ,all of the same or of various sizes. The larger teeth are designated coarse teeth and the smaller teeth are designated fine teeth. The spaces between the teeth are usually substantially of the same width as the thickness or width of the teeth. These combs have usually been put out on the market in three forms:-.( 1) those composed entirely of coarse teeth; (2) those composed entirely of fine teeth; and (3) those composed partly of coarse teeth and partly of fine teeth, the group or bank of coarse teeth being usually of substantially the same length as the group of fine teeth. It is commonly known that the combs composed entirely of coarse teeth last or wear much longer than the combs that are composed entirely of fine teeth, and that in the case of the combs composed of both coarse and fine teeth the coarse teeth are not so easily broken as the fine teeth. In spite of the frequent breakage of the fine teeth the demand for combs provided with such teeth is heavy and they are supplied to the trade, but at the same time there has been a growing protest against the easy breakage of the fine-teeth combs. Such combs are usually composed of hard rubber, although it has been proposed to produce combs composed of metal and also of the derivatives of cellulose materials. Although metal combs and combs composed of cellulosic materials are in considerable demand, hard rubber combs are the chief requirement of the trade.

Whether a comb provided with only coarse teeth or with only fine teeth, or with both coarse and fine teeth shall be used depends upon the results desired in the dressing of the hair and partly upon the quantity and relative coarseness or fineness of the hair. According to the results desired a coarse toothed comb may be used first and thereafter a fine toothed comb, or the coarse toothed end of a comb having both coarse and fine teeth may be used first and then the comb reversed in the hand of the user and the fine teeth used.

In the comb of the present invention there may be a single bank or group of teeth or 'a plurality of groups of teeth. In each group, whether the comb comprises only a single bank or group of teeth or a plurality of groups, the teeth all vary gradually or progressively in width, and also the spaces between the teeth, from one end of the group to the other. By thus arranging the teeth of the group or groups, I obtain several novel results in the use of hair .dressing combs:--The fine teeth are not so likely to break as in the 1938, Serial No. 183,611

case of combs as heretofore constructed since they are protected by the relatively coarser teeth; the desired results in hair dressing may be obtained by the use of a single comb and Without the necessity of reversing the comb in the hand of the user;

and also by gradually varying the width of the teeth and the spaces between them throughout the length of any one group of teeth, there is avoided the sharp line of demarcation which is so noticeable in combs of former construction comprising a group of coarse and a group of fine teeth. The invention is more fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating the I preferred form of the invention, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one form of comb embodying the invention, Fig. 2 is a top plan of the comb shown in Fig. 1, and Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are diagrammatic side elevations of modifications of the improved comb.

The teeth of the comb produced according to the principle of the present invention may vary in width or thickness and the spaces between the teeth may vary in width, gradually or progressively from one end of the comb to the other, such comb being shown in Fig. 1; or according to the results desired in the dressing of the hair, the teeth and the spaces between them may vary progressively in each group of a plurality of groups comprising the teeth of the comb. For example, the teeth at both ends of the comb may be relatively fine and gradually increase in width to the middle of the comb, or the teeth at both ends of the comb may be relatively coarse and decrease in width to the middle of the comb, or again a comb may have groups of teeth at more than two points thereon, the teeth of each group and the spaces between them being of gradually or progressively different widths.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1, the comb illustrated comprises a longitudinallyextending back or quill 1 having a group of spaced teeth extending outwardly from one edge and at each terminal a transversely-arranged heavy or relatively coarse guard tooth 8. The hair dressing teeth 9 of this comb gradually or progressively decrease in width from the relatively coarse teeth designated at I0 at the left hand end of the comb to the relatively fine teeth designated at H at the right handend of the comb, and the spaces between the teeth also vary in width, that is to say, each succeeding tooth from the left hand end of the comb decreases in width to the right hand end of the comb and the spaces between the teeth decrease in width from the left hand end of the comb to the right hand end of the comb. By means of this arrangement of the teeth of the comb several novel results are attained. In the first place a single comb can be used to produce as with the present forms of comb having both coarse and fine teeth the same results, but in an improved and more advantageous manner, since there are gradations in the widths of the teeth intermediate the coarsest and the finest teeth. In the next place the finer teeth are to a large extent protected against breakage by gradually increasing their width from the finest tooth adjacent the right hand guard tooth, and in the third place, the comb presents a more pleasing appearance, since the teeth gradually vary in width and in spacing from one end of the comb to the other without the sharp break or line of demarcation which is so obvious in the present style of comb in which one-half of the comb is composed entirely of the coarser teeth and the other half of the comb is composed entirely of the finer teeth, all of the coarser teeth being of substantially the same width and spacing and all of the finer teeth being substantially the same width and spacing.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 3,. the relatively coarse teeth l3 are placed at each end of the comb and they as well as the spaces between them gradually or progressively decrease in width to the middle of the comb, indicated by the relatively fine teeth M. In this form of comb it is not necessary to reverse the position of the comb in the hand of the user in order to secure the results in hair dressing to be obtained from the alternate use of relatively coarse and relatively fine teeth, or the results which may be obtained by the use of teeth intermediate in size between the coarsest teeth and the finest teeth. These same results can be obtained by use of the comb shown in Fig. 4 in which the finest teeth l5 are located at the two ends of the comb and the coarsest teeth l6 are located at the middle of the comb, the teeth at both ends of the comb and the spacing between them gradually increasing in width from the ends of the comb of the middle thereof.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 5, the comb is provided with a plurality of groups of teeth, each group including both relatively coarse and relatively fine teeth decreasing progressively in width from the coarsest teeth to the finest, or conversely, increasing in size from the finest to the coarsest. In the illustration there are eight such groups, but it is obvious that there may be any predetermined number of groups depending upon the length of the comb and the results to be attained in the dressing of the hair. The relatively coarse teeth in these groups are indicated at 18 and the relatively fine teeth are indicated at l9. In this form of the invention especially, the finer teeth are protected against breakage by the adjacent groups of relatively coarse teeth.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be apparent that novel results have been produced in hair dressing combs. The first is the fact that a comb provided with both coarse and fine teeth has been produced in which there is no sharp division between the coarse and fine teeth, but a gradual change in the size of the teeth imperceptible to the eye which greatly enhances the appearance of a comb in which both coarse and fine teeth are desired. It will also be apparent that numerous novel effects in hair dressing may be attained by varying the arrangement of the differently sized teeth according to the effects desired. And moreover, by gradually varying the widths of the teeth and the spaces between them a long bank of relatively fine teeth is avoided and therefore the liability of breakage is correspondingly obviated. This results in giving combs having fine teeth a much longer period of use than it has been possible with such combs as heretofore constructed, especially those composed of hard rubber or similar material which when in a state of fine subdivision may be easily broken.

It will be further understood that according to the principle of the invention it is not necessary that each tooth be either larger or smaller than the next preceding or succeeding tooth, the essence of the invention being that in any group of teeth there is in either longitudinal direction a gradual or progressive increase or decrease of width of teeth and the spaces between them. For example, two or three, or even more, teeth of a group or bank may be of substantially the same size followed by a similar group of larger or smaller size, the group of teeth as a whole varying gradually or progressively in size from one end to the other.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is:-

1. Ina hair dressing comb comprising an elongated back, a group of teeth extending outwardly from one edge of said back, said teeth being all of different widths from one end of the group to the other.

2. In a hair dressing comb comprising an elongated back, a group of spaced teeth extending outwardly from one edge of said back, said teeth and the spaces between them being of progressively different widths from one end of the group to the other.

3. A hair dressing comb comprising an elongated back and a group of teeth extending outwardly from one edge of said back, each tooth of said group being of different width from its next preceding and from its next succeeding tooth.

4. A hair dressing comb comprising an elongated back, having at each end an outwardly extending relatively coarse guard tooth, and a group of spaced teeth extending outwardly from one edge of the back and located between the guard teeth, said teeth and the spaces between them being of progressively different widths from one guard tooth to the other.

5. A hair dressing comb comprising an elongated back having at each end an outwardly extending relatively coarse guard tooth, and a plurality of groups of spaced teeth extending outwardly from one edge of the back and located between the guard teeth, the teeth of each group and the spaces between them being of progressively different widths from one end of the group to the other.

6. A hair dressing comb comprising an elongated back, and a group of spaced teeth extending outwardly from one edge of said back, said teeth and the spaces between them progressively increasing in width from one end of the group to the other.

HERMAN J. SCHELHAMMER. 

